Monday, 9 January 2017

Review: Defending Taylor by Miranda Keneally

Captain
of the soccer team, president of the Debate Club, contender for
valedictorian: Taylor's always pushed herself to be perfect. After all,
that's what is expected of a senator's daughter. But one impulsive
decision-one lie to cover for her boyfriend-and Taylor's kicked out of
private school. Everything she's worked so hard for is gone, and now
she's starting over at Hundred Oaks High.

Soccer has always been
Taylor's escape from the pressures of school and family, but it's hard
to fit in and play on a team that used to be her rival. The only person
who seems to understand all that she's going through is her older
brother's best friend, Ezra. Taylor's had a crush on him for as long as
she can remember. But it's hard to trust after having been betrayed.
Will Taylor repeat her past mistakes or can she score a fresh start?

I adore
coming back to Miranda Kenneally’s world of students attending Hundred Oaks
High School in Tennessee. Even after seven books, her characters are always
wonderfully unique, with stories that are quite relatable and real. There are no
supernatural occurrences, no princesses or kings or evil witches attempting to
destroy mankind in this world. It makes it so great to read that I got this
book finished on a lazy Sunday afternoon with the house to myself and a cup of
tea and my dogs by my side.

This book
tells the story of Taylor, a girl who was the hard-working, soccer-loving
daughter of a Senator. Appearances are everything when you’re related to a
Senator, so Taylor always tries to be the good girl and doesn’t do anything
wrong or risky. That is, until she nobly takes a fall for her boyfriend that
resulted in her being kicked out of her prestige private school and attending
Hundred Oaks. Now she has to deal with the aftermath of doing the noble thing
by facing disappointed parents and trying to cover up a lie which, if
discovered, would make the whole situation worse.

I’d read
lots of other books where the main character is trying to cover up a lie and we
all know that if it was uncovered, everything would go horrifically wrong. And
usually, the lie is uncovered in the worst way possible. But despite seeing
this type of trope before, it didn’t make it any less enjoyable to read, and
still relevant in today’s world.

Taylor
struggles fitting in with the other girls in her school, but she still attempts
to talk with them, and she still tries out for the soccer team, something she’s
always loved and has kept her grounded. She’s always known what’s expected of
her – top notch grades, impressive extracurricular activities, and attending
Yale before working at her family’s investment firm. It doesn’t even occur to
Taylor if this is what she wants – it’s what’s expected.

Miranda
Kenneally delves deep into what happens when someone’s expectations clash with
their heart. Coming from a prestigious family, you’re expected to go to the
best schools and uphold the family’s name. But what if that’s not for you?
Taylor’s parents are completely focused on her father’s re-election campaign,
and Taylor’s lapse in judgement makes them lose respect and trust in her. She’s
forced to start at a new school with no friends and is still expected to attend
an Ivy League college – even though her father refuses to help her get in
there, although he helped her older siblings get into their schools. Despite
all these hardships, Taylor finds she does have one ally – her best friend’s
older brother, Ezra. She’d been in love with him for years, and the chemistry
between them is palpable. When they start spending lots of time together,
fireworks go off. And Ezra’s the only person who is there for Taylor and helps
her see that she doesn’t have to do what’s expected of her.

What I also
loved was the glimpse we got of past characters and seeing their happily ever
after.

It’s not
necessary to read the previous books before reading this, as even all the books
in this series is set in the same school, they all have very separate stories
and characters that are all individually resolved at the end of each book. If
you like this one, give the others a try. Every one of them features strong,
athletic girls that stand up to their beliefs, even if they’re different, and
all are incredibly likable. They also deal with family dynamics of all shapes
and sizes. Besides that, and perhaps most importantly, they are all hugely
enjoyable, especially if you like contemporary books.

When you feel like reading something light and fluffy that'll have you smiling like a goofball, that's when I think you sohuld talkle one of these books as that's when you'll appreciate them the most. I hope you love them :)

Hey guys, hope you enjoyed this post! I love comments and seeing that people took the effort to actually write something always makes me smile :)I reply to every comment made, so be sure to leave something if you have something to say! :)Hope you have a great day! x